How do I use this compostable leaf sack?
This compostable leaf sack is an easy and convenient way to contain autumn leaves, particularly if you don’t have a compost bin. Rather than piling them up and letting the wind blow them away, this sack can keep thousands of leaves nice and contained, helping to keep your garden tidy.
Simply collect up the leaves, put them into this compostable sack and either put them in your compost bin or if you don’t have a compost bin, just leave them in a corner in your garden and forget about them.
Over time, the leaves and the hessian sack will compost down leaving you with a fantastic, rich and organic compost that you can use around your garden. Depending on how long you leave it, will depend on what sort of material you are left with. If you leave the leaves and sack for about a year you will get a great mulch that you can use around your garden. If you are patient enough and can leave it for two years, you’ll have the perfect soil conditioner which will help helps to improve the soil’s properties by adding slow-releasing nutrients.
Why are leaves great to use as mulch?
Ultimately, leaves are nature’s way of mulching under trees which traps moisture, opens the soil and keeps down weeds. This mulch is great to use across the garden as it’s 100% natural and organic.
As the leaves compost down, they created leaf mould which is useful to all plants as it increases the fungi in the soil, including mycorrhizal fungi, which are important in helping plants take up water and nutrients. Fungi start to break down autumn leaves, but once they have rotted down enough, bacteria move inside and continue the process of turning the leaves into compost. This sort of compost is great for perennials, fruit bushes, trees and shrubs as it is quite a fungi-dominant soil.
Aged leaf mould (over a year old) can be used for annuals and growing vegetables as it will be higher in bacteria which is a preferable soil type for them.
In our eyes, using leaves as mulch is a no-brainer as it is free (apart from the compostable leaf sack, of course!), organic and very versatile!